On Tuesday, February 26, the Alabama Coastal Foundation (ACF) is providing a low cost way for people in the Montgomery area to enjoy some excellent Gulf seafood while learning about our efforts to protect Alabama's coastal environment. ACF's Board of Directors and Mark Berte, the organization's Executive Director, invite area residents to "Connect to Your Coast" that Tuesday evening for the first outreach gathering in Montgomery.

The event, sponsored by the Jubilee Seafood, begins at 5:30pm and people are invited to drop in anytime before 8:30pm. Tickets, which are just $10, can be purchased through the Alabama Coastal Foundation's web site or at the door. All proceeds from the event will help support the ACF's education and habitat restoration programs.

"Alabama plays a vital role in the Gulf of Mexico which produces 40 percent of all seafood in the lower 48 states and supports a $20 billion tourist industry. In addition, we are home to some of the most beautiful beaches in the world and an estuary system rich in biodiversity. We need to do everything we can to protect our coastal environment," said Mark Berte, Executive Director at the Alabama Coastal Foundation.

The Alabama Coastal Foundation's mission is to improve and protect Alabama's coastal environment through cooperation, education and participation. Founded in 1993, the ACF brings together diverse interests to facilitate responsible environmental decision-making. The organization pursues practical solutions to conservation challenges in a non-adversarial manner and is dedicated to partner with businesses, governmental entities and other non-profit groups to achieve common ground solutions to our environmental problems.

The ACF uses an education-based approach to conservation: to find the solution, you must understand the problem. The ACF's education programs include Gulf Coast Bay Buddy (kindergarten through fourth grades), the Coastal Kid's Quiz (which is designed for fifth graders) and Mobile Bay Estuary Corps (a middle school program for students who are interested in environmental science as a career path). This year, which is the ACF's Twentieth Anniversary, the organization also launched CASL: the Coastal Alabama Service Learning program for high school students. To learn more about ACF programs, become a member, or volunteer your time, visit the ACF web site.

Connect to Your Coast- Montgomery will take place on Tuesday, February 26 from 5:30pm until 8:30pm at Jubilee Seafood (1057 Woodley Road, Montgomery 36106).

In an attempt to broaden outreach efforts, the ACF is using social networks to let people know about this event. People who use that technology are invited to engage in that work through the following mediums:

Youngstown State University student Albert Maruna was caught red-handed and arrested this week after he allegedly attempted to have sex with a 15-year-old boy, who turned out to be an undercover officer.

Youngstown State University student Albert Maruna was caught red-handed and arrested this week after he allegedly attempted to have sex with a 15-year-old boy, who turned out to be an undercover officer.